On the Enmity and Struggle Between the Fallen Nature and the Gospel Commandments

If you renounce and constantly renounce your own understandings, your own will, your own truth, or, what is the same thing, the reason, will, and truth of your fallen nature, in order to implant in yourself the mind of God, the will of God, and the truth of God, taught to us in the Holy Gospel by God Himself, then your fallen nature will reveal within you a fierce battle against the Gospel, against God. Fallen spirits will come to the aid of fallen nature. Do not fall into despondency because of this: by firmness in the struggle prove the thoroughness and positivity of your will. Defeated, get up; deceived and disarmed, arm yourself again; defeated, rush to battle again. It is most useful for you to see in yourself both your own fall and the fall of all mankind! it is essential for you to know and study this fall in your own heartfelt and mental experiences; It is essential for you to see the weakness of your mind, the weakness of your will! The vision of one's fall is a spiritual vision. The vision of one's own weakness is a spiritual vision [110]. In it, the viewer is the mind. Vision is provided by the grace implanted in us by baptism: by the action of grace the blindness of the mind is resolved, and it begins to see clearly in the field of its podvig what it has not seen before, being outside this field; he cognizes the existence of something of which he did not suspect at all. Associated with the spiritual vision of man's fall is another spiritual vision: the vision of fallen spirits. This vision is again a spiritual vision, a gift of grace [111]. In it, the spectator is the mind: the mind, from doing the commandments, striving for the most thorough fulfillment of them, begins little by little to discern fallen spirits in the thoughts and sensations they bring, begins to see the sorrowful communion of people with fallen spirits, the subordination of people to fallen spirits, the intrigues and actions of spirits for the destruction of people. There is nothing sensual in spiritual visions: they are brought about by thoroughness in the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments and by the struggle with sinful thoughts and sensations. A person who does not know these visions by experience cannot have any idea of them, does not even know that they exist. The war and struggle of the ascetic of Christ with his fall and with the fallen spirits was excellently depicted by the Holy Spirit in the Psalter. The monks of the first times studied the Psalter by heart, and with the words of the Spirit they clothed their prayers for their deliverance from the pit of passions, for deliverance from the jaws of the enemy, the devil.

Chapter 9

On the Reading of the Gospel and the Writings of the Fathers

From the above it is clear that the main cell occupation of a novice monk should be the reading and study of the Gospel and the entire New Testament. The entire New Testament can be called the Gospel as containing one Gospel teaching. However, a novice must first study the commandments of the Lord in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. From the study of the commandments in these Evangelists, in the fulfillment of the commandments by deeds, the other Scriptures that make up the New Testament will become more comprehensible. When reading the Evangelists, one should also read the Evangelist, that is, the explanation of the Gospel by Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria. The reading of the Evangelist is necessary: it contributes to the correct understanding of the Gospel and, consequently, to its most accurate fulfillment. Moreover, the canons of the Church require that Scripture be understood as the Holy Fathers explain, and by no means arbitrarily: guided in the understanding of the Gospel by the explanation of the Holy Father, an explanation accepted and used by the Church,[113] we will preserve the Tradition of the Holy Church. The writings of St. Tikhon of Voronezh are very useful for our time: they do not have a one-sided goal, they serve as an excellent guide for the ascetics of Christ who dwell in the midst of the world, and for coenobitic monks, and for monks living in regular monasteries, and for solitary silents. The grace of God inspired the saint with writings that especially correspond to contemporary needs. These scriptures explain the doctrine of the gospel. There is no obstacle to living according to the Gospel commandments in any monastery, no matter what the rule of that monastery is, no matter what the amenities of that monastery may be. The latter is said for the encouragement and comfort of those who are not satisfied with the improvement of their monastery, rightly or wrongly. For each monk it is more correct to look for the cause of his dissatisfaction in himself than in his surroundings. Self-condemnation always brings peace to the heart. It does not follow from this that a well-organized monastery does not deserve preference over an unwell-organized monastery, when the choice of a monastery depends on us. This is not always the case.

Having made the teaching and fulfillment of the Gospel commandments as the rule of life, without being carried away by the directions provided by the various writings of the Holy Fathers, one can begin to read them for the closest and most accurate acquaintance with the monastic labor, which is difficult, painful, but not joyless either. In reading the writings of the Fathers, one must observe gradualness, and in no way read them hastily. First one should read the books written for coenobitic monks, such as: the Teachings of the Monk Abba Dorotheus, the Catechumens of St. Theodore of Studio, the Guide to the Spiritual Life of the Monks Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet, beginning with answer 216 — the preceding answers are given to the most recluses, and therefore do not correspond to the novices — the Homilies of St. John of the Ladder, the works of St. Ephraim of Syria, the Cenobitic Decrees and Conversations of St. Cassian the Roman. Then, after a considerable time, one can read books written by the Fathers for the silent, such as: the Philokalia, the Patericon of Skete, the Homilies of St. Isaiah the Hermit, the Homilies of St. Isaac of Syria, the Homilies of Mark the Ascetic, the Homilies and Discourses of St. Macarius the Great, the prose and verse writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian, and other similar active writings of the Fathers. All the books enumerated here belong to the category of active, or ascetic, because in them are set forth the work and podvig of monasticism. St. John of the Ladder said: "Since you lead an active (ascetic) life, then read active (ascetic) books" [114]. Active books arouse the monk to monastic feats, especially to prayer. The reading of the other holy writings of the Fathers leads to reflection and contemplation, which is too early for an ascetic who has not been sufficiently cleansed of the passions [115].

Chapter 10

On Caution in Reading the Patristic Books on Monastic Life

The books of the Holy Fathers on monastic life should be read with great caution. It has been noticed that a novice monk cannot in any way apply books to his situation, but is invariably carried away by the direction of the book. If the book gives advice about silence and shows the abundance of spiritual fruits gathered in the deep desert, then in the novice there will certainly appear a strong desire to retire into solitude, into a desolate desert. If the book speaks of unconditional obedience under the guidance of a spirit-bearing father, then in the novice there will certainly appear a desire to live in the strictest way of living in complete obedience to the elder. God has given our time neither one nor the other of these habitations. But the books of the Holy Fathers, written about these residences, can have such a strong effect on the novice that he, due to his inexperience and ignorance, will easily decide to leave the place of residence, where he has all the convenience of being saved and spiritually succeeding by fulfilling the commandments of the Gospel, for the unrealizable dream of a perfect life, picturesquely and seductively drawn in his imagination. St. John of the Ladder says in his Sermon on Silence: "At the meal of a good brotherhood there is always a certain dog who tries to steal bread from it, that is, the soul, then runs away, holding it in its mouth, and devours it in a solitary place" [116]. In the Sermon on Obedience, this instructor of monks says: "The devil instills in those who live in obedience the desire for impossible virtues. In the same way, he advises those who dwell in silence to perform ascetic deeds that are not characteristic of them. Reveal the way of thinking of unskilled novices, and you will find there a concept born of self-deception: you will find there the desire for the strictest silence and fasting, for unwavering prayer, for complete lack of vanity, for unceasing remembrance of death, for constant tenderness, for complete lack of anger, for deep silence, for excellent purity. Being deceived, they jumped in vain (they passed from the fraternal community into deep solitude), not having in themselves at their new beginning the aforementioned virtues by the special providence of God: the enemy taught them to strive for these virtues prematurely, so that they would not receive them in due time. The seducer (the devil) blesses before the silent the love of strangers of the novices, their service, brotherly love, cohabitation, and attendance of the sick, in order to make the latter, as well as the former, impatient" [117]. The fallen angel tries to deceive and draw the monks into perdition, offering them not only sin in its various forms, but also offering them the most sublime virtues that are not characteristic of them. Do not trust, brethren, your thoughts, your understandings, your dreams, your inclinations, even if they seem to you the most benevolent, even if they represent to you in a picturesque picture the most holy monastic life! If the monastery in which you live gives you the opportunity to live according to the Gospel commandments, if you are not led down by temptations into mortal sins, then do not leave the monastery. Endure generously her shortcomings, both spiritual and material; do not dare to seek in vain the field of asceticism, which is not given by God to our time. God desires and seeks the salvation of all. He always saves all those who deign to be saved from drowning in the sea of life and sin; But it does not always save you in a ship or in a comfortable, well-equipped shelter. He promised salvation to the holy Apostle Paul and to all the companions of the Apostle: He also gave this salvation; but the Apostle and his companions were saved, not in the ship, which was wrecked, but with great difficulty, some by swimming, others on planks and various fragments of the ship [118].

Chapter 11

About the hermit's life

Let it not be hidden from the most beloved brethren that the most exalted kinds of monastic life, such as hermitage in the deep wilderness or silence in seclusion, as well as living with a spirit-bearing elder with unconditional obedience to him, were established not by chance, not by human arbitrariness and reason, but by a special providence, determination, calling, and revelation of God. Anthony the Great, the head of monasticism, the founder of wilderness life, withdrew into the wilderness, already clothed with power from Above, and not otherwise than called by God. Although this is not clearly stated in his life, the subsequent events of the life of the monk prove it with clarity. The fact that in the deepest (inner) wilderness for the strictest silence he was instructed by the Divine voice and command, is also said in his life [119]. To the Monk Macarius the Great, a contemporary of the Monk Anthony, somewhat younger than him, a Cherubim appeared, showed him a barren, wild plain — later the famous Egyptian Skete — commanded him to live in it and promised that the desert plain would be inhabited by a multitude of hermits [120]. Arsenius the Great, being in the royal chambers, prayed to God that the way of salvation would be shown to him, and heard a voice: "Arsenius! flee from men, and you will be saved." Arsenius withdrew to the aforementioned Skete, there he again besought God to instruct him in salvation, and again he heard a voice: "Arsenius! flee (of men), be silent, be silent: these are the roots of sinlessness" [121]. St. Mary of Egypt was called to hermitage in the Transjordanian desert by the command of God [122]. God, who called to silence and hermitage of His chosen ones, that is, those whom He foresaw capable of silence and hermitage, provided them with such aids and means for this life as man cannot have by himself. And in those times in which monasticism flourished, in which there were many spirit-bearing leaders, few were recognized as capable of silence, especially of hermitage. "True, rational silence," says St. John of the Ladder, "can be experienced by few, and precisely only by those who have acquired Divine consolation, encouraging them in their ascetic struggles and helping them in battles" [123]. "Silence destroys the inexperienced" [124]. Recluses and hermits were often subjected to the greatest spiritual calamities: those of them were subjected to calamities who entered into seclusion spontaneously, not called by God.

In the Prologue the following story is read: In Palestine there was a certain monastery at the foot of a large and high cliff, and in the cliff there was a cave above the monastery. The monks of that monastery said: "Some time before this, one of our brotherhood had a desire to live in a cave in the mountain, and asked the abbot for this. The abbot had the gift of reasoning. He said to his brother: "My son, how do you want to live alone in a cave, not yet having overcome carnal and spiritual passionate thoughts? He who wishes to be silent must be under the guidance of a teacher, and not govern himself. You, who have not reached the proper measure, ask my frailty that I allow you to live alone in a cave, but I think that you do not understand the various snares of the devil. It is much better for you to serve your fathers, to receive help from God through their prayers, to glorify and glorify the Lord of all with them at the appointed hours, than to struggle alone with impious and cunning thoughts. Have you not heard what the God-voiced Father, John, the writer of the Ladder, says: "Woe to him who dwells alone: if he falls into despondency or sloth, there is no one to raise him up! and where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them, said the Lord." Thus the abbot told him, but he could not distract the monk from his soul-destroying thoughts. Seeing the brother's irresistible desire and his persistent requests, the abbot finally allowed him to live in the cave. Guided by the prayer of the abbot, he ascended to the cave. During the hours of eating, one of the monastic brethren brought it to the cave, and the hermit had a basket on a rope, which he lowered, and took the food. When he spent some time in the cave, the devil, who always struggles with those who wish to live a godly life, began to trouble him with evil thoughts day and night; after a few days, having been transformed into a radiant angel, he appeared to him and said: "Let it be known to you that for the sake of your purity and good life, the Lord has sent me to serve you." The monk answered: "What good have I done that the angels should serve me?" The devil objected: "Everything that you have done is great and lofty. Thou hast forsaken the beauties of the world and has become a monk; you work in fasting, prayer and vigil; Again, having left the monastery, you have settled down to live here: how can the angels not serve your holiness?" Once a certain man, robbed by thieves, went to a monk. The unclean demon, who had deceived him, appeared to him in the form of an angel, said to him: "This man has been deceived by thieves; the stolen things are hidden in such and such a place: tell him to go there and take what is yours." The man who came to the cave bowed, and the monk from above said to him: "It is good, brother, that you have come! I know that sorrow has befallen you, because thieves have come to you and stolen this and that. Do not be sad! They put the stolen things there: go there and you will find everything, and pray for me." The man was surprised, listened and found the stolen goods. He glorified the monk in all that country, saying that the monk who lived in the cave was a prophet. A multitude of people began to flock to the monk; listening to him, they were amazed at the teaching that he taught under the inspiration of the devil. He predicted, and his predictions came true. The unfortunate man spent a considerable time in such deception. On the second day of the second week after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, a foul demon appeared to the monk and said to him: "Know, father, that for the sake of your blameless and angelic life other angels will come and take you, in the body, to heaven: there, with all the angels, you will enjoy the sight of the ineffable beauty of the Lord." The demon, having said this, became invisible. But the humane and merciful God, not wishing human destruction, put it into the heart of the monk to announce what had happened to the abbot. When the brother who usually brought food to the hermit came, the hermit looked out of the cave and said to him: "Brother! go, tell the abbot to come here." The brother passed this on to the hegumen. The abbot hastened to come; He ascended the stairs to the cave to the hermit and said to him: "For what reason, my son, did you command me to come here?" He answered: "How shall I repay you, holy father, for all that you have done for my unworthiness!" The abbot said: "What good have I done to you?" By Thee I have been clothed in the image of an angel; through you I see angels and am vouchsafed to converse with them; through you I have received the gift of clairvoyance and prophecy." The abbot, hearing this, was amazed, and said: "Unfortunate! Do you see the angels? Have you been vouchsafed the gift of clairvoyance? Woe to you, wretched one! Did I not say to you, Do not go into the cave, lest the demons deceive you?" When the abbot said this, the brother objected to him thus: "Do not say this, honorable father! for the sake of your holy prayers I see angels; Tomorrow I will be lifted up by them to heaven with my body. Let your holiness know that I want to ask the Lord our God that the angels take you too, that you also may be with me in heavenly glory." Hearing this, the hegumen said to him menacingly: "Thou art deceived by the demon, wretched one! but if I have come here, I will not leave here: I will remain here to see what will happen to you. I will not see the foul demons whom you call angels; but you, when you see that they have come, tell me." The hegumen ordered the ladder to be taken away and remained in the cave with the deceived one, remaining in fasting and unceasing psalmody. When the hour came, in which the deceived man hoped to ascend to heaven, he saw the demons come and said: "They have come, father." Then the hegumen embraced him, and cried out: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, help thy servant who has gone astray, and do not allow unclean demons to possess him." When the hegumen was saying this, the demons seized and began to drag the deceived man, trying to tear him out of the hegumen's embrace. The abbot rebuked the demons. They, tearing off the deceived mantle, disappeared. The mantle was seen ascending through the air to a height and finally disappeared. After a satisfied time, the mantle again appeared to fly down and fell to the ground. Then the elder said to the deceived man: "Mad and unfortunate! Thou seest what the demons have done to thy mantle: so they intended to do unto thee. They intended to lift thee, like Simon the sorcerer, into the air and bring thee down, so that thou wouldst be crushed and spew out the accursed soul in misery." The abbot summoned the monks, ordered them to bring a ladder, led the deceived man from the cave to the monastery and assigned him to serve in the bakery, in the kitchen and in other monastic obediences, so that his thoughts would be humbled. In this way he saved his brother" [125].

Our compatriots, the Monks Isaac [126] and Nikita [127] of the Caves, were subjected to a grave temptation because of their early entry into seclusion. It is noticeable from the biography of the Monk Isaac, a contemporary of the Monks Anthony and Theodosius, that he entered into seclusion of his own free will. He underwent the most intense bodily feat; the desire for podvig, even more intensified, inspired him to shut himself up in one of the narrowest caves of the Kievo-Pechersk monastery. His food was prosphora, and his drink was water, and this meager food he took every other day. With such an intensified bodily podvig and with a lack of empirical information about the podvig and struggle of the soul, it is impossible not to give a certain value to the podvig for oneself and for oneself. On the inner mood of the ascetic is usually based the temptation inflicted on him by the demons. "If man," says St. Macarius of Egypt, "does not give himself a reason for Satan to subordinate him to his influence, then Satan can in no way prevail over him by force" [128]. The demons appeared to Isaac in the form of bright angels; one of them shone more brightly than the others; the demons called him Christ and demanded that the ascetic worship Him. The ascetic, by worship befitting the one God and recompensed to the devil, subjected himself to demons, who tortured him with a violent bodily movement (dancing) to the point of death. The Monk Anthony, who served the hermit, came to him with the usual food, but seeing that the hermit did not give any voice, and realizing that something special had happened to him, with the help of other monks, he broke down the entrance, tightly blocked, to the cave of St. Isaac. They carried him out as if he were dead, and laid him before the cave; Noticing that he was still alive, they carried him to the cell on the bed. The Monks Anthony and Theodosius, one after the other, followed him. Isaac weakened his mind and body from temptation: he could neither stand, nor sit, nor lie down, turn from side to side; he lay motionless for two years, dumb and deaf. In the third year he spoke, and asked to be raised and put on his feet. Then he began to learn to walk like a child; but he did not express any desire, below the thought of going to church; they barely and forcibly forced him to do this; little by little he began to go to the temple of God. After that he began to go to meals, and little by little he learned to eat food; In the two years in which he lay motionless, he partook of neither bread nor water. Finally, he was completely freed from the terrible and miraculous impression made on him by the appearance and action of demons. Subsequently, the Monk Isaac attained high measures of holiness. The Monk Nicetas was younger than the Monk Isaac, but contemporary with him. Carried away by zeal, he asked the hegumen to bless him for his podvig in seclusion. The hegumen – the Monk Nikon was then the hegumen – rebuked him, saying: "My son! it is of no use to you, a young man, to be idle. It is better to live with the brethren: by serving them, you will not destroy your reward. You yourself know how Isaac the Cave-dweller was seduced by demons in seclusion: he would have perished if the special grace of God, for the prayers of our venerable Fathers, Anthony and Theodosius, had not saved him." Nicetas answered: "I am in no way deceived by anything of the kind, but I wish to stand firmly against the demonic intrigues and pray to God, the lover of mankind, that He vouchsafe me the gift of wonderworking, like Isaac the Recluse, who to this day performs many miracles." The hegumen again said: "Your desire is greater than your strength; Take heed that, having ascended, you do not fall. On the contrary, I command you to serve the brethren, and you will receive a crown from God for your obedience." Nicetas, carried away by a strong zeal for the hermit's life, did not want to heed at all what the abbot was telling him. He fulfilled his plan: he shut himself up in seclusion, and remained in it, praying and not going anywhere. After some time, one day, during the hour of prayer, he heard a voice that was praying with him, and smelled an unusual fragrance. Being deceived, he said to himself: "If it were not for an angel, he would not have prayed with me, and the fragrance of the Holy Spirit would not have been heard." Then Nicetas began to pray diligently, saying: "Lord! appear to me in understanding, that I may see Thee." Then a voice came to him: "You are young! I will not appear to you, lest you ascend and fall." The hermit answered with tears: "Lord! I will not be deceived in any way, because the abbot has taught me not to listen to the demonic delusion, but I will do whatever You command me." Then the soul-destroying serpent, having assumed power over him, said: "It is impossible for a man in the flesh to see me, but behold! I send my angel to dwell with you: you do his will." With these words, a demon in the form of an angel appeared before the hermit. Nicetas fell down at his feet, worshipping him as an angel. The demon said: "Henceforth, no longer pray, but read books, through which you will enter into unceasing conversation with God and will be able to teach a word beneficial to the soul to those who come to you, and I will constantly pray to the Creator of all for your salvation." The hermit, believing these words, was even more deceived: he ceased to pray, occupied himself with reading, saw the demon praying incessantly, rejoiced, believing that the angel was praying for him. Then he began to converse much with those who came from the Scriptures, and to prophesy like the Palestinian hermit. His fame spread among the worldly people and at the grand ducal court. In fact, he did not prophesy, but told those who came, being informed by a demon who was present where the stolen things were laid, where what happened in a distant place [129]. Thus he let the Grand Duke Izyaslav know about the murder of the Novgorod prince Gleb and advised him to send the grand prince's son to Novgorod to reign. This was enough for the laity to proclaim the hermit a prophet. It has been noticed that laymen and monks themselves, who do not have spiritual discernment, are almost always carried away by deceivers, hypocrites, and those who are in demonic delusion, recognizing them as saints and grace-filled. No one could compare with Nicetas in his knowledge of the Old Testament; but he did not tolerate the New Testament, never borrowed his discourse from the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles, did not allow any of his visitors to remind him of anything from the New Testament. From this strange direction of his teaching, the fathers of the Kievo-Pechersk monastery understood that he was seduced by a demon. At that time there were many holy monks in the monastery, adorned with grace-filled gifts. By their prayer they drove the demon away from Nikita; Nikita stopped seeing him. The fathers led Nicetas out of seclusion and asked him to tell them something from the Old Testament; but he swore that he had never read these books, which he had previously known by heart. It turned out that he had forgotten even to read because of the impression made by the demonic charm, and it was scarcely, with great difficulty, that they taught him to read again. Brought to his senses by the prayers of the Holy Fathers, he recognized and confessed his sin, wept over it with bitter tears, and attained a high measure of holiness and the gift of wonderworking by living humbly in the midst of the brotherhood. Afterwards Saint Nicetas was consecrated bishop of Novgorod. The latest experiments confirm what the experiments of past times clearly prove. And now delusion – this is how self-deception combined with demonic deception is called in monastic language – is an indispensable consequence of premature withdrawal into deep solitude or a special podvig in cell solitude. At the time when the writer of these ascetic councils, as a young man, in 1824-1825, visited the Alexander Nevsky Lavra to consult about his thoughts with the monk Ioannikii, the candle-bearer of the Lavra, a disciple of the Elders Theodore and Leonid, many laymen who led an ascetic life went to this monk for spiritual advice. The soldier of the Pavlovsk regiment also went to him, Paul, who had recently converted from the schism, who had previously been the mentor of the schismatics, and was literate. Paul's face shone with joy. But he, due to the strongest zeal kindled in him, gave himself over to an immoderate bodily podvig that was incongruous with his structure, having an insufficient understanding of spiritual podvig. One night Paul was standing at prayer. Suddenly, a sun-like light appeared near the icons, and in the midst of the light a dove shining white. A voice came from the dove: "Receive me: I am the Holy Spirit; I have come to make you my abode." Paul expressed joyful agreement. A dove ascended into him through his mouth, and Paul, exhausted by fasting and vigil, suddenly felt within himself a strong passion for fornication: he gave up a prayer and ran into the harlot. His hungry passion made the satiation of passion insatiable. He sought fornication all the time, and all the prostitutes available to him became his constant den. At last he came to his senses. He set forth his seduction by demonic manifestations and defilement by the consequences of delusion in a letter to Hieroschemamonk Leonid, who then lived in the Alexander Svirsky Monastery. The letter revealed the former high spiritual state of the fallen. The above-mentioned young man was then the cell-attendant of Hieroschemamonk Leonid (1827-1828) and read Paul's letter with the blessing of the elder. In the spring of 1828, Hieroschemamonk Leonid moved from the Svirsky Monastery, first to Ploshchanskaya, then to the Optina Hermitage. He was accompanied by his cell-attendant, who on this occasion visited some monasteries of the Kaluga and Oryol dioceses. When he was in the famous Beloberezhskaya wilderness, then the rassophore monk Serapion was famous there for his ascetic life, seeing an angel in his solitary cell rule. Not only the laity, but also the monks – since in Russia the bodily podvig prevails, and the very concept of the spiritual is almost lost – glorified Serapion and held him up as an example of monastic life. In 1829, Serapion moved to the Optina Hermitage because of a mental disorder to lead the councils of Hieroschemamonk Leonid. In one of the conferences with the elder, he pulled out a significant part of the elder's beard. Serapion, who had been placed in the skete of the Optina Hermitage out of respect for his ascetic glory, came one night to the head of the skete, Hieromonk Anthony, announcing that John the Baptist had just appeared to him and ordered to slaughter this Anthony, Hieroschemamonk Leonid, Hieromonk Gabriel, and the landowner Zhelyabovsky, who was then staying at the skete. "Where is your knife?" asked the shrewd and intrepid Antony. "I have no knife," answered the deceived man. "So why do you come to cut without a knife?" objected Anthony, and he removed the deceived man to his cell, who was to be transferred to the insane asylum, where he died. Before his death, as we heard, Serapion came to his senses and departed with the hope of salvation. It should be noted that the fallen spirit, wishing to take possession of the ascetic of Christ, does not act in a domineering manner, but seeks to attract the consent of a person to the offered delusion, and after receiving consent, it takes possession of the one who has expressed consent. St. David, describing the attack of the fallen angel on man, expressed himself with all precision, saying: "He catches the beggar, when he catches the beggar, he catches the beggar when he draws him in his net" (131). "The Holy Spirit acts autonomously as God; comes, while the humbled and humbled man does not at all expect His coming. Suddenly changes the mind, changes the heart. By His action He embraces all the will and all the faculties of man, who has no opportunity to reflect on the action taking place in him. Grace, when it is in anyone, does not show anything ordinary or sensual; but secretly teaches what he has never seen or imagined before. Then the mind secretly learns the lofty and hidden mysteries, which, according to the Divine Paul, cannot be seen by the human eye, and the mind cannot comprehend it by itself... The human mind, of its own accord, not being united with the Lord, reasons according to its own strength. When it is united with the fire of the Divinity and the Holy Spirit, then we are all possessed of the Divine Light, we are made all of light, we are inflamed in the flame of the All-Holy Spirit, we are filled with Divine reason, and it is impossible for them to think about their own and about what they would like to think about in the flame of the Divinity." Thus spoke the Monk Maximus Kapsokalivi to the Monk Gregory of Sinai [132]. On the contrary, in the case of a demonic phenomenon, a person is always given freedom to judge the phenomenon, to accept or reject it. This is evident from the demon's attempts to deceive the saints of God. Once, when the Monk Pachomius the Great dwelt in solitude outside the monastic rumor, the devil appeared to him in a great light, saying: "Rejoice, Pachomius! I am Christ, and I have come to you as to my friend." The saint, reasoning with himself, thought: "The coming of Christ to man is combined with joy, devoid of fear. In that hour all human thoughts disappear: then the whole mind is fixed on the sight of the visible. But when I see this person present myself to me, I am filled with confusion and fear. This is not Christ, but Satan." After this meditation the monk boldly said to the one who appeared: "Devil! depart from me: cursed are you, and your vision, and the deceit of your evil designs." The devil immediately disappeared, filling the cell with stench [133].